The student is writing a PowerPoint presentation about the culture and arts at the Bonnaroo music festival for a class. In the letter, the student provides background information on Bonnaroo, describing it as a four-day festival held every June in Manchester, TN that features numerous music stages and other entertainment. The student discusses their positive experience at the recent 10th anniversary Bonnaroo, including discovering new bands and genres of music. The student emphasizes the artistic appreciation and experiences beyond just the music that make Bonnaroo a life-changing event.

1. June 25, 2011<br />Randolph Cullum, Instructor<br />1400 College Drive, Room G308B<br />Ashland, KY 41101<br />Dear Mr. Cullum:<br />I am a student in your class and currently in the process of providing a PowerPoint presentation over the culture and the arts found at the Bonnaroo music festival. I have recently returned from my first experience at this specific music festival and can honestly say that listening to an iPod does not exactly cut it anymore. Unfortunately, some people get the wrong impression about music festivals and confuse them to be mostly about walking around all day completely inebriated, which can be entertaining at times but not the entertainment I am paying for. In this PowerPoint, titled Audible Chocolate, I hope to enlighten those to the more aesthetic view found in most music and art festivals.<br />The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival began in 2002 and continues every June; in fact this past Bonnaroo happened to be the tenth anniversary celebration. It is a four day event that includes not only numerous stages with an eclectic music selection, but it also offers other sources of entertainment such as: carnival rides, art exhibits, clothing stores, a sports bar, a cinema and comedy tent, plus much more. The festival usually begins on the second Thursday every June and last until that following Sunday. It is held on a farm in Manchester, TN that consists of 700 acres and the facility includes a campground site (for both tents and RVs), centeroo (where the performances and most of the activities are held), along with health, water, and information stations. <br />Over the last ten years Bonnaroo has brought various artists together for a once in a life time music extravaganza. Headliners such as: Snoop Dog, My Morning Jacket, Robert Plant and the band of Joy, Lil Wayne, The White Stripes, and Erykah Badu. Not to mention some famous DJs like Girl Talk, Bassnector, and Shpongle. At the same time, it was not only about seeing your favorite artist, but it opens the opportunity to experience the music styling’s from those you have never came across on your own time. For me, when waiting in between the shows I wanted to see, I would wander from different performances of bands that I had never heard of. <br />Subsequently some of the lesser famous bands gave off better performances than the headliners. The Knux was a band that consisted of a DJ, two lead singers, a drummer, a bassist, and a lead guitarist. They definitely were more than what met the eye, because at first they came off as an average rap group (the two singers and the DJ). In the midst of their first song, the rest of the band came out and they combined two genres into one big music melting pot. They had an ear opening feat with meaningful lyrics and a great sound. If my group and I had been abstaining from the unknown, we would have missed one of the most exciting shows of the weekend. Which is one of things I loved most about Bonnaroo, it gives you the chance to accept new types of music and then share them with people of similar interest as you. <br />For the most part, Bonnaroo can be life changing. I had to learn to survive with the necessities and to get along with five other people trapped in an excruciatingly hot tent for four nights. On the brighter sides of things I got to witness first hand my favorite performers and become familiar with some new music. You come across a lot of interesting people, painters, unusually cool parents who glow in the dark hula-hoop, and even some people who swallow fire(were not entertainment provided from Bonnaroo) as a hobby. It amazed me how far people traveled for this event, but the dedication to their experience itself amazed me even more. If you are completely wasted the whole time all this is going on, then how are you able to recognize all the artistic appreciation not only from those in the crowd but as well as from the performers themselves? Well, I guess you could say do not knock it before you try it.<br />Sincerely,<br />Kelsea Brones<br />